A conventional laundry appliance, such as a horizontal axis clothes washing machine, includes a cabinet with a drum rotatably mounted therein. In some machines, the drum is tilted slightly with respect to a horizontal axis. The appliance door is mounted to the cabinet so as to pivot about a vertical axis, thereby moving through a horizontal plane between open and closed positions. A seal is provided between the door and the open end of the tub. The seal typically is a rubberized door boot mounted to the cabinet and extending slightly into the tub through the open end thereof. The door boot includes a tubular lip seal adapted to sealingly engage with the plug of the door when the door is closed.
In the conventional door boot, the lip seal is parallel to the planar orientation of the door boot. Thus, on an inclined or tilted tub, the planes of the door boot and the lip seal are non-vertical. In a tilted tub appliance, the tilted angle of the door boot causes the horizontally movable door to engage the lip seal at a slightly varying angle from the top of the lip seal to the bottom of the lip seal. In order to ensure optimal sealing between the lip seal and the door plug, the lip seal should extend at substantially 90.degree. angle relative to the horizontal movement of the door and the door plug.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved door boot with a varying angle lip seal.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved door boot for a laundry appliance having a tub tilted with respect to a horizontal axis.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a door boot having a lip seal with an angle which varies between approximately .+-.15.degree. relative to the planar orientation of the door boot.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved lip seal for a door boot of a laundry appliance which is effective and durable in use.
These and other objectives become apparent from the following description of the invention.